Connecter for electric conductors



March 8, 1932. s. T. TIDEMAN 1 1,348,442

CONNECTER FOR ELECTRIC CONDUCTORS Filed Dec. 2, 1929 5 tric outlet box.

I Patented Mar. s; 1932 PAT cnononm. TID'EMAN, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS:

. CONNECTER 'FOB" ELECTRIC .CONDUCTORS Application filed December 2 1929.; Serial 1 1'o. 4 11;18 8.

This invention relates to connecters. for electric conductors for attaching electric conductor conduits and armored electric cables tothe top or-horizontal member of an elec- Among the objects oftheinvention is to obtain connecters by means of which conduits enclosingelectric conductors, or conductors'of the kind known in the art as.

armored cables, may be easily attached to the top or horizontal member of an electric outlet box. An additional object is to obtain connecters of the kind named 'which may be inserted through an aperture in the I 15 top or horizontalmember of an electric outlet box and will be automatically rigidly held in place in said aperture without the possibility of a break in the continuity or conductivity of the electric conduit system.

An additional object is to obtain connecters line 11 of Fig. 2, viewed as indicated by arrows. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view, looking up, asindicated by arrows at the ends of broken line 22-, in Fig. 1, of'the several parts which are illustrated in said Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the lower end of an armored electric cable. a cross section of a portion of the top or horizontal member of an electric outlet box, and a cross section of a connection embodying myinvention, showing a modification of the upper part of the construction which is illustrated in Figs. 1 and'2, taken on line 33 of Fig.4, viewed as indicated by arrows: and Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view, looking up, of the top of the electric outlet box and of the construction embodying my invention shown in Fig. 3.

50 A reference, character applied to desige .nate, agiven part indicates said part throughout the several figures of the drawings, wherever, the same appears; a

1' represents a portion of the top or horizon- I tal member of an electric outlet box. 2 represents the lowerend of a conduit for electricalconductors. The lower end of conduit 2 is represented asscrew threaded, as at 3,

Fig.1,in'the ordinary way. 4, 5, represent ed to have thelower and screw threaded end a connecter embodyingthis invention adaptof conduit 2 connectedthereto, by female 7 screw threads 'inparto thereof being en-.

gagedwith screw threads 3. 6 represent re ;v

silient tongues which are forced outwardly and downwardly from part 4 of member 4, 5; and 7 represent similar resilient tongues which are forced outwardly from said part 4, and'upwardly fromtheir bases. The bases of tongues 6"and 7 respectively, are integral with part 4. i

. Thepart 4 of the constructionwhich is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, is similar to part 4 illustrated inFigs. 3 and 4, and the tongues "6and7 are forced out therefrom in thesame manner and direction in the construction fillustratedinFigs;3 and 4, as in Figs. 1 and 2. The modified end of the construction which-is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, is designated 8, andis made to form a clamp. To make th1s clamp a transverse cut is made in cylindrical part 4 at a point thereon which determines the upper end or" said part 4, asat 9, Fig. 3; and the'upper portion .8 of said member is bent as atzlO, 11 and 12, with'the portionbetween bendsill'and l2 curved, as

at 13, to correspond with the peripheral, curvature of the armoredelectric cable 14. The lower end of the curved part 13 is flared inwardly to obtain the bevelled inwardly ex 1 tending flange 15. The purpose of this bevelled flange is to limit the downward insertion of the armored electric cable 14 in the clamp, By bend 12 I obtain the substantially parallel ear members 16; and 17 represents a bolt which extends through apertures provided therefor in ear members 16. 18 represents a nut on bolt '17, by means oif'which parallel ear members '16 are forced towards each other to bring curved portion 13 of the clamp into close relation with the peri hery of armored electric cable 14, thereby rigidly V securing said armored cable in said clamp.

Conduit 2, illustrated in Figs. land 2, and the armor of the armored cable illustrated in Fig. 3, form metal coverings of the electric conductors which extend there-' through. v

The operation of the device is; an electric conduit 2 is secured, in the construction illustrated in Fig. 1, in parti5.of.the device, as by screw threads 3, or an armored electric cable 14, is secured in the clamp formed by members 13, 16, bolt 17 and nut 18.

The conduit or armored cable being securedzto the upper part of the device, part 4 the outlet box 1, be 'forced substantially into the peripheral plane of m4, and as soon as said tongues are throng said apertures they will, respectively, spring into substantially (the positions in which they are illustrated in Figs. land 2, thereby preventing the retraction of said part-4 from said apertures. At

the .timethe tongues .7 are through the aperture, the tongues 6, being also of resilient material, will be forced outward andthe ends thereof forced upwards, from their initial and normal position, by being forced into contact with theupper surface of top or horizontal member 1 of the electric outlet box, and as said tongues 7 are released from the apertures in said .top, theends thereof are brou ht into contact with the lower surface ofsald top'by the resilience ofsaid tongues 6.

The apertures in the wall of. an electric out let'boxare usually made by what is termed a ,lmock-out; and the tongues 6 and 7 are arranged to co-act with the wall of the outlet box.

I claim: 7 a a 1 L'In aconnecter,-a cylindricalzmember provided with a plurality of tongues extending outward and upward and an additional plurality of tongues extending outward and I downwards, said tongues beingof resilient material, in combination with an additional member connected to said first named memberand provided with means whereby it is material, in combination with an additional member connected to said cylindrical member and rovided with elements arranged to form ac mp.

GEORGE r. TIDEMAN.

attachable to the metal covering of an electric I 

